Calif. chase ends in crash for car thief

By Melissa Pinion-WhittThe Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

UPLAND, Calif. — A 21-year-old Pomona man crashed a stolen car into a light pole Tuesday morning at the end of a police chase.

The chase began about 2:30 a.m. when an Upland police officer spotted the driver heading west in the 1300 block of West Seventh Street. Police said the man, who was in a white Acura Integra, was driving erratically and someone in a maroon sedan was following him.

When the man in the Acura passed the officer, he made a U-turn to head east on Seventh Street. Police pulled over the car, but before the officer could approach him, the driver sped away, police said. The driver slammed into a Toyota 4-Runner at the intersection of Seventh and Mountain Avenue. No one in the vehicle was injured.

He then got on the westbound 10 Freeway and exited the freeway at Monte Vista Avenue, driving about 80 mph, police said. He lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a street light. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, received major injuries.